In light of the looming threat of extinction of North American bat populations brought on by the lethal and rapidly spreading disease known as white nose syndrome, the US Fish and Wildlife Service unveiled this week a national plan for coordinating efforts for combatting the disease at the loca, state, and federal level.

There's good, stem cell-related news for another organ this week -- the lung. Researchers say they have found lung stem cells, which may hold therapeutic value for repairing damaged respiratory tissue, according to a study published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM).